“What we do is good”: Pirate Bay lashes out as Swedish lawsuit finally ends

The Swedish lawsuit against four of The Pirate Bay's previous administrators concluded today as the country's Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal. Jail sentences and fines against the group now become final.

Back in April 2009, the District Court found Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, and their financial backer Carl Lundstrom guilty of aiding copyright infringement. Each man was sentenced to year in prison, and the four shared a 30 million kroner (US$4.5 million) fine.

The defendants first asked for a retrial, pointing out that a judge in their initial one had been a member of several pro-copyright organizations. The request was denied on the grounds that simply endorsing the principles of copyright law was no grounds for judicial disqualification.

The defendants then appealed their case. In 2010, an appellate court reduced the prison sentences to between 4 and 10 months each, but it increased the shared fine to SKR46 million (US$6.8 million).

The defendants then pushed to have their case heard by the Swedish Supreme Court. Today, the court declined to hear the case.

Nobel Prize, here we come

Peter "brokep" Sunde took to his blog to allege corruption. "It was clear to us that the supreme court—where many of the judges make a lot of money on their own copyrights—would be hard to persuade to take the case. Even though most of the public would want the case tested there. Even though it’s one of the most important cases for all of the EU."

The Pirate Bay, ostensibly controlled by a totally unrelated set of people now (see our 2009 investigation into just who purchased the site), used its site blog to call 2012 "the year of the storm."

What binds us all together is a strong belief that what we do is good. That it is something we one day can tell our grandchildren about with pride. People from all over the world confirm this. We read testimonials from people in Syria longing for freedom, thanking us for what we provide. We receive more than 100 visits daily from North Korea and we sure know that they need it. If there's something that will bring peace to this world it is the understanding and appreciation of your fellow man. What better way to do that than with this vast library of culture?...

(As TorrentFreak notes, the site operators have also moved their main domain to .se, a top-level domain not subject to unilateral US seizure as are .com and .org.)

Sunde likewise made some of the same points in his own statement.

TPB [The Pirate Bay] has been one of the most important movements in Sweden for freedom of speech, working against corruption and censorship. All of the people involved in TPB at some time have been involved in everything from famous leaks projects to aiding people in the arab spring. We’ve fought corruption all over the world. We’ve promoted equal opportunities to poor nations around the globe. We’ve crushed the monopoly on information. Our close ones, many who have helped building TPB, have been mentioned as possible winners of the nobel peace prize.

But Sunde and the current Pirate Bay admins sounded different notes when it came to the way forward. For Sunde, the future is about alternative culture, new ways of paying artists, and boycotting the establishment.

Stop seeing their movies. Stop listening to their music. Make sure that you find alternative ways to culture. I’ve founded Flattr.com, which allows you to support people that create directly instead of going through the corrupt entertainment industry. Use it in solidarity to the creators, and to your fellow citizen. Or start a competitor. Spread and participate in culture. Remix, reuse, use, abuse.

That all sounds surprisingly... legal and useful. The Pirate Bay's response was more traditionally combative.

In this year of the storm, the winners will build windmills and the losers will raise shelters. So flex your muscles, fellow pirates, and give power to us all! Build more sites! More nets! More protocols! Scream louder than ever and take it to the next level!

As refreshing as their stance is I wonder if TPB isn't fighting a losing battle. I'm one of the now conflicted consumers of all things media. I accept that artists must be paid and I resumed paying for content lately, but I came of age in the Age Of Napster.. so I'm used to free content. With all the Anti piracy bills sprouting here and there however TPB and other such sites are on the defensive.. to the detriment of us all... IMO

I still feel that the onus should be on the companies to protect their IP's. Pressuring the governments and courts to in fact provide a free anti-copyright method is going to hurt these industries in the long run. A non-intrusive DRM will be a costly investment, but one that the entire industry should enter into, therefore sharing the cost. And at the same time, alleviating tax dollar investment.

I also agree that the robin hood defence serves no basis here, seeing as how they were making a substantial profit from their dealings.

As refreshing as their stance is I wonder if TPB isn't fighting a losing battle. I'm one of the now conflicted consumers of all things media. I accept that artists must be paid and I resumed paying for content lately, but I came of age in the Age Of Napster.. so I'm used to free content. With all the Anti piracy bills sprouting here and there however TPB and other such sites are on the defensive.. to the detriment of us all... IMO

Have you read the article? It's not a losing battle with them, their battle is lost.

As refreshing as their stance is I wonder if TPB isn't fighting a losing battle

I don't think so - every time the Copyright Boot is pressed ever more forcefully on the peoples collective throat, the pirate parties everywhere gain more support and traction. I would say that the copyright industry is fighting a losing battle - eventually enough people will hate them enough to vote them away. Doubly so when the Internet Generation becomes the majority of the population.

"What binds us all together is a strong belief that what we do is good. That it is something we one day can tell our grandchildren about with pride. People from all over the world confirm this. We read testimonials from people in Syria longing for freedom, thanking us for what we provide. We receive more than 100 visits daily from North Korea and we sure know that they need it. If there's something that will bring peace to this world it is the understanding and appreciation of your fellow man. What better way to do that than with this vast library of culture?..."

Is this even a type of logic?

I guess under this logic that one can rob the U.S. treasury of millions and as long as the money allows them to have financial freedom, then its good and not a crime?

"We receive more than 100 visits daily from North Korea and we sure know that they need it. "

Must have been pretty crowded. Of course North Korea visited, they will use any excuse to get out of North Korea.

"If there's something that will bring peace to this world it is the understanding and appreciation of your fellow man. "

How does crime bring peace to the world?

"People from all over the world confirm this."

Ahhh, yet another description for that mysterous undefined "they" group the mysterous defined "people" group always talk about.

"What better way to do that than with this vast library of culture?..."

Culture? Hmmm, well the word "culture" and "crime" both start with a 'c' so they were almost close. You guys got caught in, and convicted of, a criminal act and that makes you criminals. The words "criminal, caught, criminals, and convicted" also start with the letter 'c' - so maybe you were a little confused here as to the correct wording and maybe that should have read "What better way to do that than with this vast library of caught and convicted criminals?..."

"Stop seeing their movies. Stop listening to their music. Make sure that you find alternative ways to culture."

That's certainly good advice, and it's a line of thinking I've been following for a while. I haven't bought much music in many years, not because it's easy to pirate (which it is) but because of the dire quality of the so-called "music" that's released these days. Just take a look at the UK Top 40 charts and weep for humanity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.

I'm all for this boycott idea. If the entertainment industry wants to stay mired in their byzantine business model, let them rot there alone. In the mean time, go see local shows and support local artists. Go out (gasp!) with friends to a bar or the zoo (or both) instead of sitting in your mom's basement and watching the latest super hero movie ripoff.

I'm all for this boycott idea. If the entertainment industry wants to stay mired in their byzantine business model, let them rot there alone. In the mean time, go see local shows and support local artists. Go out (gasp!) with friends to a bar or the zoo (or both) instead of sitting in your mom's basement and watching the latest super hero movie ripoff.

please dont arrive drunk at the zoo, no good can come of it.

as for the pirate bay's essays on culture and doing good, i just wanted a free movie from you. came there for the convenience not the rhetoric.

I would say that the copyright industry is fighting a losing battle - eventually enough people will hate them enough to vote them away. Doubly so when the Internet Generation becomes the majority of the population.

This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

You can't complain about theft when people who not even are allowed to buy your stuff (release windows and geographic restrictions, anyone?) copies it without causing a single penny to disappear from your wallets.Blabbing about "ownership" is just stupid since it don't actually require effort from you or harm you, which are the two main reasons for why physical property can't be used without permission.

Don't pirate and at the same time DON'T BUY any media whether music or video from the copyright cartels.Prove to them that your lives will still go on without their music or videos and that you dont need them by NOT pirating their products.When they see that they can't even give their music and videos away, they will panic because no one is interested in their products, in fact no one even bothered to pirate their products.Just listen or watch over the air or other free means which doesn't include buying or pirating from the big cartels.Just give them 3 years of no one buying or even pirating their products and the cartels will fall.

This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

The generation which became adults around or after 9-11.Between 1980 and 1990.

Few of them could vote in 2000. In 2004, they disapproved of Bush but did not like KerryIn 2008, they overwhelmingly broke for ObamaIn 2012, the most vocal ones are bending primary/caucus rules to cheer for Paul* in the Republican primary but when it comes down to Romney vs Obama the block will support Obama

* As a generation they're actually shrewder then their predecessors in that they know they can jump to whichever party they want for the nomination process, and are doing so. Look for this practice to grow; with larger amounts of moderates formally swinging between parties to participate in the nomination that actually has a race, while having no loyalty to the party when it comes to the election itself.

"What binds us all together is a strong belief that what we do is good. That it is something we one day can tell our grandchildren about with pride. People from all over the world confirm this. We read testimonials from people in Syria longing for freedom, thanking us for what we provide. We receive more than 100 visits daily from North Korea and we sure know that they need it. If there's something that will bring peace to this world it is the understanding and appreciation of your fellow man. What better way to do that than with this vast library of culture?..."

Pirokobo | 5 minutes ago | permalink | replyRobL777 wrote:This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

The generation which became adults around or after 9-11.Between 1980 and 1990.

Few of them could vote in 2000.In 2004, they disapproved of Bush but did not like Kerry.In 2008, they overwhelmingly broke for ObamaIn 2012, the most vocal ones are bending primary/caucus rules to cheer for Paul in the Republican primary but when it comes down to Romney vs Obama the block will support Obama.

Apparently this "generation" even has an official spokesman. Who knew?

"Stop seeing their movies. Stop listening to their music. Make sure that you find alternative ways to culture."

it's what I'm doing.

-and by the way, I truly, sincerely, with 20 years behind me of observing the market and culture than YES internet, torrent, mass piracy was good for artists.

It destroys statu quo, yes, it's true, but it also promotes an unbelievable exchange of cultural goods and promote artists, good products, stage events as never.

The point is digital piracy FORCES the industry to MOVE or be erased for self publication and new companies (software companies I think, at the end).

and yes it's _good_.

-in the mean time, Pirate Bay, me , you, and everyone are not purely angels with no money need. And of course Pirate Bay is in the end illegal, but yeah, for what I think, all of that was positive and needed.

it's only the beginning.

More easier, more efficient is possible

Internet will be more "wifi", radio, virtual networks in networks and routing by phone and mobile computing and piracy and massive distribution will be obvious everywhere.

At that point, the industry will have to _sell_ ALL their songs, movies, novels, comics, whatever on every efficient store (store _in_ devices) and remove DRM. DRM is just preventing selling.

The point is : they (artists and the industry) need to sell digitally now and be better than wild distribution.

I would say that the copyright industry is fighting a losing battle - eventually enough people will hate them enough to vote them away. Doubly so when the Internet Generation becomes the majority of the population.

This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

Wow, some of you guys really need to pull your nose out of big media's butts.

Copyright terms have gone from unreasonable to insane... and we are supposed to "respect their right" to indefinite profit off of "property" which consists of arranged bits of information...

Disney would not have any movies if this copyright scheme were implemented 100 years earlier. But it's cool now.. that's their right to profit. They squatted on it first and muscled their way to perpetually extended copyright. The public domain is on its death bed, but let's respect their right's to profits! amirite?!?? Just because they're currently stealing FROM ALL OF US since these works would have been in public domain if it were not for the heavy handed IP laws.

Just a fun fact to remember: Every one of us will be LONG DEAD before any works created during our lives will pass into public domain.

Remember that the next time you sing "happy birthday" (which is actually copyright infringement...way to go, you dirty thief)

Everyone should be in support of the free distribution of information and be banding together as a public AGAINST restrictions like the flawed copyright scheme we see today. Laws are only valid to the people who follow them. Bending over for the sake of following copyright law does not help anyone, but merely perpetuates a broken system and pushes it further down that broken path. No one has a RIGHT to profit from a given work, merely an opportunity do share it in the hopes that people might want to support the author's continued efforts. Please don't buy into the tired rhetoric "think of the artists!!!!" it's as shoddy an excuse as "think of the children!!!"

Artists have profited and ARE profiting from their works with no copyright protection whatsoever. Furthermore, there are industries (fashion, food, etc) that RELY entirely on copying other ideas. Their copyright protection exists as far as their name and logo...and ends there. They are some of the most profitable industries because of this. With similar schemes implemented into the entertainment/software industries, we could see a huge influx on incredible products because they would not be hindered by trying to ink licensing deals for every single "region" on earth.

The digital age has made it possible to entirely destroy antiquated distributors who fail to change with the times. Everyone gets pissed when the banks get a buyout... well we're currently doing the same thing by propping up big media and supporting these insane copyright terms.

These laws were not decided by the people, only serve the interests of the few and have ruined FAR more lives than they have benefited.

That it is something we one day can tell our grandchildren about with pride.

"That's right kids, I went to jail for screwing content owners and software developers by distributing their work for free! I'm a hero! A HERO!"

It's amazing how their sense of entitlement has gone from from an obvious character flaw to full flegded delusions of grandeur.

Of course, this comment page will soon be flooded by other people that think that somehow they have a basic human right to get any kind of media on exactly their own terms (usually free) by virtue of existing.

RobL777 wrote:Quote:I would say that the copyright industry is fighting a losing battle - eventually enough people will hate them enough to vote them away. Doubly so when the Internet Generation becomes the majority of the population.

This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

Stop seeing their movies. Stop listening to their music. Make sure that you find alternative ways to culture. I’ve founded Flattr.com, which allows you to support people that create directly instead of going through the corrupt entertainment industry. Use it in solidarity to the creators, and to your fellow citizen. Or start a competitor. Spread and participate in culture. Remix, reuse, use, abuse.

See, this is reasonable. If you actually have a principled stand against those industries, then you create a new model and try to make that work.

Boycotting media has had the opposite result in that "sales are lost due to piracy" from the mentality of the "customer is always wrong" rather than the customer is finding alternatives like video games and independent or self-produced media that they don't own.

This is a common misperception. The major media corporations DON'T own copyrights on the majority of media being consumed anymore. They don't offer a single statistic outside of their own sources that support their claims. There are tons of reports from Canada and various other countries that do say "piracty" is 1) not an issue and 2) benefits (yes) the economy. People spend their entertainment money on other things like concerts, games, phones ... it is NOT removed from the economy.

Was it piracy that brought the world to an economic meltdown? So why are they treated with SWAT teams and wall street types get tax-payer funded bonuses?

How can all these illegal sites make so much money doing what Hollywood says it can't? Google pulled ads from TPB and MegaUpload years ago. This is another area where figures are more of a fantasy that no one asks for proof of.

Sure, creators need payment. But that's not what this is about - send the creator a $1 for every album downloaded with a note saying "thanks" because that's all iTunes would pay and the musicians don't have to hire lawyers and accountants to get it. Buy direct when possible.

I'm coming from a stand point that I can't buy half of what I want. I can see it for sale on foreigen sites, such as Amazon UK, or iTunes UK - but I can't buy it in the US or it's not for "that region" like BBC's iplayer. I'm bored with Hollywood over-produced, comic book stereotypes and the rubbish published. They will take town technology - again - to avoid competion. They don't even want to allow streaming which has been a proven way to steam piracy.

The current uses of copyrights have been abusive and they want to increase control without questioning - which leaves no room for independent production or "sharing". This is about control of the media, which will include information and possibly patents soon after. The great firewall of China started to stem piracy. If if these laws aren't used for political gain, they eventually will be. Wikileak's files were distributed through file host's and I'm sure that didn't make government types very happy.

When Hollywood couldn't get their way in congress, they went to the trade department to get regulations and international agreements, which now need buffing up. This is back-handed and bribery. Does the US really want to get involved in another endless global war i.e. how did the 30 year old "war on drugs" work out? This is another "whack-a-mole". There has to be other options.

Everyday I hear about more companies moving data out of the US due to these laws. That hurts the economy.

Overall media consuption that's purchased is one of the bright spots. It is not dying but has experienced steady growth since the mid 2000's - along with access to broadband. More people are BUYING - it's just not the same formats it used to be in.

BTW - I wasn't in favor of TPB at first and I personally hate torrents, but as time has gone on I am very glad they are there. TPB has proved to be one of the innovators for sharing information and media to all which I respect. I hope they never disappear - I just hope I'm not stuck in a position where I feel I need to use them.

Pirokobo | 5 minutes ago | permalink | replyRobL777 wrote:This is not going to happen. It is a fantasy. Plus, who is the Internet Generation ? When were they born? Do they vote in a block?

The generation which became adults around or after 9-11.Between 1980 and 1990.

Few of them could vote in 2000.In 2004, they disapproved of Bush but did not like Kerry.In 2008, they overwhelmingly broke for ObamaIn 2012, the most vocal ones are bending primary/caucus rules to cheer for Paul in the Republican primary but when it comes down to Romney vs Obama the block will support Obama.

Apparently this "generation" even has an official spokesman. Who knew?

I'm personally pushing Charizard as the official state Pokemon. There's a lotta debate over which troll face should be selected.

The generation which became adults around or after 9-11.Between 1980 and 1990.

Few of them could vote in 2000. In 2004, they disapproved of Bush but did not like KerryIn 2008, they overwhelmingly broke for ObamaIn 2012, the most vocal ones are bending primary/caucus rules to cheer for Paul* in the Republican primary but when it comes down to Romney vs Obama the block will support Obama

wait, why could few vote in 2000 if a defining characteristic was adulthood by 1990?i dunno about this generation thing you are trying to pass on us...

That's certainly good advice, and it's a line of thinking I've been following for a while. I haven't bought much music in many years, not because it's easy to pirate (which it is) but because of the dire quality of the so-called "music" that's released these days. Just take a look at the UK Top 40 charts and weep for humanity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.

I won't listen to a song or watch a movie unless either is worth buying--if it is, I'll buy it (or Netflix it) and then do my watching/listening. I agree music today absolutely stinks... Why anyone would consider it worth the effort to pirate, let alone buy, is beyond me. Here's a typical "musician" interview these days: